Piper PA-25-235 accident near Soda Springs, Idaho, August 25, 2007
On August 25, 2007 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N8600L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Soda Springs, Idaho. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision making and subsequent loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing factors were the terrain conditions (soft and rough/uneven) and the tailwind weather conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 2007 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Soda Springs, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-235 · all PA-25-235s on the register
- Registration
- N8600L · no longer on the register · serial 25-5023
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he departed at approximately 0820 to apply mosquito larvicide to local wetlands. Upon completion of his application runs, he started a climb towards the airport and experienced a loss of engine power. He selected a spot for a forced landing, which proved to be pasture with heavy marsh grass, and too soft and rough for a downwind landing. During rollout, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane ground looped to the right. Postaccident evaluation of the airplane revealed that the right main landing gear failed, a rib was bent in the right wing, and both wing tips were damaged. The pilot reported that the cause of the engine failure was fuel exhaustion.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 601 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hill AG Air
The flight
- Departed from: U70 Soda Springs ID at 2:20 pm
- Destination: U70 Soda Springs ID
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 7:39 pm from U78
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N8600L the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.